Buckingham Palace respond after scam uses image of Meghan Markle to promote diet pills

Meghan Markle is said to be furious after an online scam used her image and claimed she took diet pills to lose weight.

The scam is thought to have shared the Duchess of Sussex's image in online marketing campaigns, claiming that she took pills to lose weight after having her baby son Archie. According to reports, advertisements for the pills used images of Meghan Markle before and after her pregnancy claiming the pills were how she lost weight. Unsurpisingly, the mum of one is said to be furious with the news and Buckingham Palace officials have vowed to crack down on the offenders. Not only were images used but fabricated quotes have also surfaced online purportedly from the Duchess endorsing the product. A Sunday Mirror investigation even said that Meghan described the pills as her "passion project". As fans of the Duchess will know, this is a phrase she previously used to refer to the cookbook she launched to help victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. A spokesperson for the palace spoke to the publication, dismissing the claims as untrue and confirming that legal action would be taken against the company. The source explained:

"This is obviously not true and an illegal use of the Duchess’ name for advertising purpose. We will follow our normal course of action."

This is not the first time a public figure has been subjected to claims of these nature with Holly Willoughby experiencing something similar a couple of years ago. At the time, the spokesperson for the popular TV presenter said:

"We’re aware of a number of scam websites using images of Holly, along with other celebrities, to sell weight-loss products and are liaising with our lawyers about possible legal action".